Waste organic matter including that found in raw wastewater (i.e., sewage), sludge from sewage treatment facilities, farm waste, organic industrial waste, leachate, and so forth is a principle cause of water pollution. Therefore, waste organic matter from these and other sources ideally is treated before release into the environment in order to reduce or eliminate the presence of environmentally harmful organic compounds.
Waste organic matter comprises a variety of organic constituents, including, but not limited to, cellulose, hemicellulose, lingin, polysaccharides such as starch and chitin, proteins, lipids such as triacylglycerols and phospholipids, pesticides, fungicides, polymers, petroleum wastes, and other long-chain or complicated hydrocarbons. One way in which waste organic matter may be treated is by breaking down the organic molecules into simpler, non-toxic or environmentally-friendly constituent parts via digestion or metabolism (i.e., decomposition) by various microorganisms.
Microorganisms recognized for their ability to break down organic matter include, but are not limited to, bacteria, actinomycetes, yeast, algae, and protozoa. Generally, organic matter is broken down into simpler constituent parts by the action of enzymes released by the microorganisms. During this process, some of the carbonaceous material of the organic matter may be consumed in the formation of new microbial tissue. Additionally, some of the carbonaceous material may be consumed in the production of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) gases, which may be subsequently released into the environment, flared, burned for energy production purposes, and so on. In this manner, the organic waste may be broken down into smaller, non-toxic molecules that are then incorporated into the growing biomass of the microorganisms or released as gasses. For example, industrial waste management processes like publicly owned treatment facilities (POTWs) often utilize microorganisms, in particular bacteria, to break down waste organic matter.
The description herein of problems and disadvantages of known apparatuses, methods, and devices is not intended to limit the invention to the exclusion of these known entities. Indeed, embodiments of the invention may include one or more of the known apparatus, methods, and devices without suffering from the disadvantages and problems noted herein.